The defeat in the Lok Sabha elections for Aam Aadmi Party candidate Gul Panag has not dampened her spirits. Gul will continue to work with Arvind Kejriwal’s team. Says the spirited actress, “I am most certainly going to continue in politics. I wasn’t here for just one election season. I am in it for the long haul.” Gul has no quibbles with the way the mandate went in her constituency. “Chandigarh has exercised its franchise in a peaceful and decisive manner. It has given the Bharatiya Janta Party a clear mandate. I am absolutely at peace with the mandate. I’d like to thank the people of Chandigarh for their love and support.” Gul feels she and the Aam Aadmi Party did well for a first-timer. “It was our first election in the Union Territory and having won one-fourth of the vote, I feel we are a voice that cannot be ignored.” She refuses to acknowledge that there was a Narendra Modi wave in the country that brought the BJP into power. “It was no more than media-manufactured wave.” Gul is very hopeful about the future. “I do hope the National Democratic Alliance is responsible with the mandate the people of India have bestowed on it, and that they’re open to inclusive and participative governance.” As for her own role within her party and her party’s role in the process of nation-building Gul says, “We will continue to conscientiously serve the people of Chandigarh and remain committed to our fight against corruption in India.”